about BYG

Player development like you've never seen before.

BYG our story

It started with a love of the off-season.

Growing up, owner Dave Perri's favorite time of year was the off-season: skating camps, stickhandling camps, and shooting camps. The off-season offered something the grind of the in-season schedule didn't: real room to learn and get better.

That love of learning never left him. Like a scientist, Dave is constantly running experiments to find which training methods actually work, building his own equipment along the way, and staying current with the science of human physiology and development. When he created Build Your Game, the goal was simple: put skills, strength, and mindset together in one place.

coaching philosophy

How we think about training.

Being good at hockey doesn't make someone a good trainer. Every principle below shapes how we design a session, from the first drill to the last rep.

Incremental Skill Learning

Each new skill starts as a simple, isolated motion. Once a player owns it, we link it into a bigger movement, then wrap that into a themed session, so the drills feel connected and strung together.

Strength Built on Progression

We track resistance on each exercise, every session so that muscles are progressively overloaded and climb incrementally upward. Athletes are taught to push working sets to within 1-3 reps of failure and rest properly between sets. Full programs cycle every 6-10 weeks so the body keeps adapting instead of plateauing.

Competition in Every Session

Skills are built better under pressure. That's why we incorporate races, small games, and live scrimmaging, forcing players to execute what they just learned in game-like situations, instead of just rehearsing them.

Earning the Right to Coach

Every trainer spends real time learning Dave's methods: the cues, corrections, and session structure firsthand. It's not enough to know the game; they have to know how BYG teaches it.

meet dave perri

Creator & Head Skill Developer

Dave's hockey career included playing Tier II Junior A, NCAA Division 3, and NCAA Division 1 college hockey, giving him firsthand knowledge of what it takes to succeed at the higher levels. But Dave isn't simply an ex-player turned instructor. He's a genuinely skilled teacher of hockey technique.

He's spent over 20 years in hockey training and has developed his own stickhandling and shooting curriculum, built from the ground up, to provide consistent results. Every off-ice session Dave designs is built with the athlete in mind - technique instruction, lots of repetitions, and competition, so that the sessions feel intense and impactful.

“I wanted Build Your Game to be the entire package in hockey training, all in one place. A place where players actually want to go.”

in memory of mike perri

Mike Perri coached AAA/elite teams for 13 years, taking his Starz of Minnesota team to Toronto's Prospects tournament, one of the most highly scouted events in North America at the time. An impressive 86% of Starz alumni went on to play Junior A, college, or pro hockey, including four who played in the NHL. Mike served as Build Your Game's general manager, and his belief in doing right by players and families shaped this program in ways that continue today. He is deeply missed by the entire BYG family.

our facilities

Where the work happens.

off-ice

The Dryland Training Rink

A one-of-a-kind, 1,200 sq. ft. polymer “ice-like” rink that doesn't exist anywhere else. Its small dimensions keep every player in the action, letting them work on situational awareness, puck battles, and defensive stick use, things ordinary dryland drills can't teach.

off-ice

Skills Training Area

This is where skills get taught. Players get technique correction and competition through races. Training tools include everything from stickhandling balls and green biscuits to real pucks. The colored targets on our nets reflect where openings would realistically be when shooting on a modern “butterfly” goalie.

off-ice

The Gym

Muscle = strength. This is where many people get confused. Our strength programming is built around building muscle. Blending endurance, coordination, and strength into one exercise dilutes the stimulus. More muscle = more force production = more speed, explosiveness, and strength.

on-ice

Fogerty Arena

For programs with an on-ice component, training takes place at Fogerty Arena, where players translate the stickhandling and shooting mechanics, fast twitch impulses and live reads they've built at our dryland facility directly onto the ice.

see it in action

A Few Snapshots From Training.

Come see the difference for yourself.

Your first session is on us.

Book a Free Session